


Glimpses

by Obsidian_Tear



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Almost all of the characters I headcanon as LGBT+, Blood, Death, Drug Use, Gay content, Mentions of Prostitution, Mentions of past child abuse, Multi, Sexual Content, There is probably more but I can't think of it right now, Torture, Violence, alcohol use, cannibalism mention, mentions of nudity, mentions of past csa, polyamory technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-09-13 05:49:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9109357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsidian_Tear/pseuds/Obsidian_Tear
Summary: An eventual collection of ficlets based around the lives and relationships of various bounty hunters in the Star Wars universe.





	1. People Watching - Embo and Sugi

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be quite honest with you all - haven't posted fanfic in years because of my own insecurity and inability to continue with story-lines. This is more of a writing practice than something I intended to post - that was, until I realized that the characters I write about aren't written about a lot. So, maybe someone wants to read it.
> 
> I don't know. I just hope you enjoy.

Embo watched in utter fascination as the bartender put on a show, tossing the bottle of booze into the air and twirling it around his fingers; he poured the mixer and the alcohol into a shaker, before giving the container a few rough jostles. The electric blue liquid sloshed into a wide mouth glass, as the bartender garnished the drink with a small red fruit. To finish it off, he set a paper umbrella near the rim, and slid it to the Kyuzo man.

Embo grasped the glass in his hand, his attention snapping toward the Zabrak woman sitting beside him; she flagged the bartender down, and ordered what he was sure was her third ale. Her head cocked to the side as she watched him pour the drink, before noticing that she was being watched.

“What?” He just shook his head and set his mask down on the counter; he took a sip of the fizzy drink, and shifted his body to look out at the crowd of bar-goers. “Alright, Mr. Judgmental, see anyone interesting?”

They often hung around the bar to watch for people who may have had bounties on their heads; or, at least, that’s what Embo thought they were there for. Most of the time, though, Sugi would drink and flirt with strangers; it wasn’t very dignified, but he had to admit that her antics made him laugh sometimes.

His eyes scanned the bar, taking in every detail of everyone he could see; he frowned when nothing seemed to stand out. Just a bunch of faceless patrons that were probably oblivious of the fact that they were bounty hunters.

“No one.” He shrugged as he swirled his drink around, and snuck another sip; Sugi pursed her lips and sighed, before downing the contents of her glass.

“Alright then. Change of plans, my lovely Kyuzo companion - my friend, the light of my miserable, miserable life.” She snickered as she waved her hand toward the crowd. “Find the hottest girl and the hottest guy in this joint.”

“Why?” He finished his drink, and promptly ordered a second one.

“Well, if we’re here, we might as well have fun.” She chuckled as she cocked a brow. “Go ahead.”

Embo’s browridges furrowed as he looked down at his companion, and noted her eager expression; he received his second drink with a thanks, before turning to look out at the crowd.

“Is this a trick question?”

“What? No. Although, we are the hottest fuckers in this joint.” She winked as she drew her finger around the mouth of her glass. “What about her?”

She jutted her finger toward one of the waitress’; she was a young Twi’lek woman, whose skin was a sunset orange. She was shorter than the both of them, with a waifish frame; he knew that some found Twi’leks attractive, but she was not his type.

“No…” His eyes scanned over the crowd, taking in the features of every patron he could see; his eyes rested on a Nautolan woman, whose skin was a similar color to the blue-green lakes back home on Phatrong. Her eyes were black like the night sky, and held the same sort of wonder within them; her face was soft and round, and her smile lit up the entire room. She.... she was amazing. “Her.”

“Fuck, you’re right.” Sugi leaned forward, observing the woman; she ran her hands through her hair, before standing up, albeit a bit wobbly. “I’m gonna go talk to her.”

“Wait, Sugi, I don’t think-.” She was gone before he could finish his sentence; he just grinned and shook his head, knowing that his friend would come back… sorely disappointed. She was a great bounty hunter, but she wasn't that great at reading people; and, unfortunately for her, she often made a fool of herself because of this. 

So she marched straight up to the woman, and used one of her usual cheesy pick-up lines - it was probably a line someone used on her, like 'Do you have a holomap? Because I am hopelessly lost in your eyes?'. He almost felt bad for her when the woman shook her head, and Sugi came trudging back, hiding her face in her hands. He tried to look sympathetic, but ended up bursting into laughter.

"You're a fucking asshole."

"I'm - I'm sorry." He stifled his giggles behind his fist, before sobering. "I could've told you she was straight."

"Yeah, could've saved me the embarrassment." She pouted, her cheeks still tinged with red. "I hate you. You're my least favorite person in the entire galaxy."

"In the entire galaxy?" 

"Yes. I mean..... not really. But you're up there." 

"Well, I'm sorry that I was being an asshole. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" She gestured toward her glass, and he got the message; he slid the bartender enough credits for one more drink, before shaking his head. Sugi nodded in thanks, before sucking it down and sliding the glass toward the bartender.

"I just.... I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

“Who would refuse….. This?” She gestured to herself, before looking up at him. He bit his lip to keep from laughing, noting the confused look on her face; she was quite obviously drunk, although he had seen her in much, much worse shape. She was just lucky that she still had her shoes and coat with her, and not gods knew where.

“You’re a bit of a mess right now.” He admitted, to which she scoffed; she tried to run her hands through her hair, but the sleeve of her coat got snagged on one of her horns. 

“Fuck you.” She growled as she tried to disentangle the cloth from her horn, without much success; he gently lifted her arm, before maneuvering the cloth away. "What about him?"

Embo almost didn’t understand what she was talking about until he noticed that she was pointing toward a tall, Togruta man. Embo looked him over, before nodding.

“I’d say so.” He fumbled for his mask, before popping it back into place; the man was definitely the most attractive man in there, as most of the male bar-goers were human. And humans…… well, they didn’t sit well with him.

The man was a fiery red, with the usual blue markings on his montrals and lekku; he held himself with an air of authority, but still smiled at those who greeted him. Embo looked away as Sugi wobbled, and he steadied her; she growled down at the shoe that had slipped off of her foot, but she couldn't seem to put it back on.

"You gonna ask for his number or somethin'?"

"Gods no." He scoffed as he knelt down and readjusted her shoe.

"Well, why not?"

"Because I'm going to have to baby sit you for the next twenty-four hours." He stood and brushed himself off. "There is no way you're going to be able to walk home without you hurting yourself. Come on." 

“Take me away, noble companion.” She climbed up onto his back, her arms draped around his neck; he gently held onto her legs for extra support, before starting out of the bar. Embo knew that this was likely not the last time she would drag him along to another one of these odd 'outings'; in fact, he looked forward to it.


	2. Getting Away With Murder - Cad Bane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! While 17 hits may not seem like a lot to some people, it's nice to know that this is being read at all! So thank you!
> 
> I think that I'll start putting trigger warnings in the author's note instead of trying to keep up with tagging everything I'm writing about. Because -I'll be honest- I don't really have much of a plan as to where these little ficlets go until I write them. So....
> 
> Trigger warning: this chapter includes violence/death and implied assault. It's not terribly graphic, but I thought I'd let you know, anyways.
> 
> The title for this chapter is from Getting Away With Murder by Papa Roach.

“Master Bane! You were due back over an hour ago.” 

Cad sighed as he looked down at his chrono, as if confirming this information; what he had hoped would be a few minutes of peace and quiet turned into…. Well, a few hours. There was something calming about being alone, and it would be a lie if he said that he didn’t want just a few more minutes...

“I'm well aware of this, Todo."

“Sir, we are on a very tight schedule.” The shimmering blue form of his butler droid chided as he flitted about Cad's ship; Todo was known to be a bit twitchy at times, so he couldn't say that this restlessness of his was a surprise. “The Hutts are expecting us as we speak.”

“The slugs will wait.” He shrugged, and Todo shook his head as if this idea was ludicrous.

“You aren’t afraid that they’ll give the gig to one of your…friends?" Competitors was perhaps a better word to describe the other bounty hunters, but truthfully, most of them seemed to get along pretty well..... when they weren't working, that was.

“Don’t worry about it, Todo.” Cad stood, and cut the transmission short; his droid meant well, he did, but he had little faith in Bane and his control of various situations. Cad knew the Hutts would wait for him because he was the only one that could do that specific job, and he knew that none of his decent rivals would touch the gig because of what it entailed.

He slid the communicator into his pocket, before looking down at the bed where his signature trench coat and his hat rested. He balled up the trench coat and shoved it into the old, leathery knapsack he had brought with him; he then gingerly grabbed his hat, a small smile resting on his face. He lovingly strapped the hat to the bag, careful not to crease it.

It wasn’t often that he didn’t want to be recognizable - his persona struck fear into the hearts of the unworthy, and he admitted that this was a feeling he enjoyed. But every once in awhile, it was nice to blend in - to see the galaxy from the perspective of a 'normal' person. 

And to the people of Durosa, he was just that - a normal person. Durosa, a settlement of immigrated Duros people in Coruscant's Underworld, was somewhere he could go if he needed time to reflect. It was much different than Duro, thank the stars; it was a place comprised largely of families and aspiring scientists, and people were mostly decent to one another. Even when he was seen with his hat and trench coat, people brushed him off as a huge fan - because, oddly enough, some people there idolized him.

He slung the bag over his shoulder and started out, passing neighbors who just smiled and waved; he stopped briefly to give one of the neighbor kids a piece of candy from his sack, before exiting the building and disappearing into the crowds.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, his thumbs brushing against the dual pistols resting on his hips; even when he wasn't in danger, there was something comforting about knowing that he could protect himself. And, it wasn't terribly out of place; if people were smart, they would carry blasters regardless of what they did for work. Because Coruscant could be a very shitty place sometimes.

He pushed past a small crowd of people gathering around a food stand, his attention snapping toward a shout. He noted a small group of human men entering a nearby alleyway; Cad's mood soured as he sauntered toward the alley. Humans always spelled out trouble, especially when they were somewhere they didn’t belong.

He arrived at the mouth of the alley, noting that a human - most likely, the group’s leader - had pushed a Duros girl up against the wall, while his buddies chuckled in the background. She squirmed and tried to scream, but her attacker clamped her mouth shut with his hand.

“Don't ya know it's dangerous to be out alone, Alien Scum?” He drawled as he braced his arm across her neck; Cad growled when he noticed that the girl was no older than fourteen, and she looked absolutely terrified. The tiniest part of him reminded him that it was none of his business, but another -more prominent- part of him wanted to absolutely decimate the douche.

“Drop the girl,” Cad growled, as four heads snapped toward him; the girl shook her head, her fingers clawing into the man’s hand and arm. Cad wasn't sure what the humans were doing in Durosa, but he knew that they weren't welcome.

“This isn’t any of your business, old man.” The leader growled, revealing a mouth filled with teeth that had been filed down to mimic Zabraki fangs. Cad fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“That’s where you’re wrong, son.” Cad touched his blasters, a silent threat that he was willing to do whatever it took to take them down. The lead guy just scoffed and gestured toward his buddies. 

“Teach the alien a lesson, will ya?”

Cad was ready for them when they charged at him; the first guy wielded only a knife, which Cad easily knocked out of his hand and tossed aside. The same man threw a punch at him, which Cad blocked; he gripped the man’s arm and swung him around, tossing him into the building a few feet away. A loud crack rang out amongst the commotion, and he dropped to the ground in a heap. 

The second guy looked a bit more anxious as he pulled out his blaster; his hands shook as he leveled it at Cad’s chest. Before the guy’s finger could inch toward the trigger, Cad had already pulled out his twin blasters, and fired them into the guy’s head. The second guy fell backward, startling their leader.

“Alright, alright.” He let the girl go, his hands raised to show that he had surrendered; the girl scrambled away, and Cad waited until she was gone before gesturing toward the man with his blasters.

“On your knees.”

“Okay, just…. Don’t shoot.” The guy sank to his knees, his hands still raised; his hands shook as Cad took a step closer. This kind of fear powered Cad; it was the fear of a man who knew he had commit a crime, who knew this was the end. A grin ghosted on Cad's face as he aimed the blasters at the man's heart.

“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before attacking that girl.” He peppered the human’s body with blaster bolts, and watched as the man slumped forward. He spun his blasters, before holstering them at his side.

He turned, jumping when he noticed that the girl was standing behind him; she looked past him at the bodies, before looking at his blasters. There was a glimmer of fear in her eyes as she stood there as if waiting for him to shoot her too. Then…… she hugged him.

Cad stiffened as he looked down at her, and gently patted her back as he felt tears wet his shirt; she lifted her head, her watery eyes connecting with his.

“Th-thank you.” She whispered as she wiped her eyes.

Cad just smiled slightly, before extricating himself from her arms; he gave her a nod, before disappearing into the sea of faces.


	3. Memories - Boba Fett

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm back again! Wow! I'm so glad that this is being read - like you guys have no idea! This is awesome! 
> 
> If you have any suggestions for characters/ships/scenarios you'd like to see, I'd love to hear them! I really want to expand my writing so anything helps!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Death. Just, lot's of death.

“Keep up, Boba.” 

Boba looked up at his father, a sort of odd feeling resting in his chest; something about this felt so…. Strange. Something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t pin it down; perhaps it was the rare smile on his father’s face or the fact that he couldn’t see out of the window. All he knew was that his stomach flip-flopped precariously, and he didn’t like the feeling.

“Where are we going?” 

“Out.” There was a hint of a smile on Jango’s face as he led Boba out of the room, and down the immaculate white halls. Kamino. To him, it was home - but he felt like a stranger as he passed one of the cloners; it was a surreal feeling, as if he hadn’t been there in years and he was rediscovering it all over again.

“Why?”

“Why not?” Jango chuckled as he pushed the door open, and they stepped outside; for once, the torrential rains had slowed to a drizzle. Jango laughed as the rain kissed his skin, and turned to see if his son was having as good of a time; Boba wished he was, but all he could think about was the colors swirling in the sky. “Is something wrong, Boba?”

He opened his mouth, part of him declaring ‘no’, while the other lied with a ‘yes’. It seemed to come out as a ‘noes’, and confusion twisted on his father’s face.

“Boba, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” He whispered as he looked up at the grey sky, and let the rain pour over him. It almost felt as though he hadn’t felt the rain in years, but he knew that wasn’t right. It always rained on Kamino.

He turned to look at his father, who squeezed the rain from his hair, before gesturing toward Slave 1. Boba frowned slightly as he followed his father up the ship’s ramp and into the cockpit; the ship roared to life, and Boba felt a chill run down his spine.

“Dad, where are we going?”

“Just relax and enjoy the ride Boba. I promise things will turn out alright.” Jango grinned as the ship took to the skies. Boba leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling as the ship jumped into hyperspace; the textures of the metal roof seemed all wrong, and for a moment, he was worried that the ship was going to combust or something. He turned to observe his father, noting the determined, but still solemn, look in his eyes. “Why don’t you get some rest. It’s going to be a long trip.”

Boba would’ve rather stay awake the entire time, but he found it increasingly hard to keep his eyes open. Much to his chagrin, his eyes slid shut; it seemed as though a second passed before his eyes popped open. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, noting that the ship was no longer moving and his father wasn’t there. He waited for a few moments, before standing up and moving toward the door.

He blinked back the sun and let his eyes adjust to the increase in light, before sucking in a breath; it was so swelteringly hot that it felt as though the breath was being stolen from his lungs. His eyes rested on the rolling hills of sands and the crumbling rock faces, and fear exploded within his chest. He knew where they were - he knew what was about to happen.

'Dad, no!'

He wheeled out of Slave 1 and onto the ground; the grains of sand felt like needles against his skin. The tiny grains dug trenches into his skin as he tried to brush himself off; tears formed in his eyes as he tried to ignore the pain and push forward. He noted the arena in the distance and his heart felt as though it stopped beating altogether. He just had to get there…

He burst through the entrance and found himself in the midst of a terrifying maze of halls. He found himself feeling incredibly small as he looked around and tried to remember which way was the right way. He ignored the empty stares of the Geonosians as he fell to his knees and clutched his head in his hands.

'Think, think, THINK! I’ve made my way around here once. I can do it again.'

He stood and observed both directions, before starting down the hall to his left. The Geonosians he passed clicked and buzzed before crumbling into dust; wind swirled around him, trying to goad him to give up. He swore he could hear the voices of the other bounty hunters whispering to him, imploring him to turn around and find them. He tried to ignore them the best, but it was hard; still, he soldiered on.

He shot toward the door at the end of the hallway, feeling as though he was running in slow motion; screaming, bloodied Geonosians passed him, and he felt his heart sink into his stomach. 

'No, no this can’t be happening.'

When he finally wrenched the door open, he was faced with an empty stadium - save his father and Windu. Neither moved as they stared each other down, and the eerie howl of the wind was the only sound to be heard; a chill ran down Boba’s spine as Mace reached for his lightsaber, and his father reached for his blaster.

'No. I have to… I have to stop this.'

He ran out toward the two, waving his arms; neither seemed to notice him, and Boba could feel his stomach churn.

“Dad, don’t!” He cried, tears bubbling in his eyes. “Dad, please!”

Jango turned toward him, a sad smile ghosting his face, as Boba saw a flash of purple; he froze as the blade sliced through Jango’s neck, and his head toppled to the ground. A shrill scream pierced the silence as Boba fell to his knees; tears streamed down his cheeks as he peered down at his father’s head. 

“Please, please don’t go, dad.” He whimpered, ignorant to the fact that the arena was crumbling around him. “Don’t go.”

-

“Boba? Are you alright?” Boba’s eyes popped open and he shot up, his heart pounding against his chest; his gaze landed on Latts, who rubbed her eyes and yawned softly. “I heard you scream.”

“Yeah. I’m good.” He wiped his eyes as she smiled softly and shut the door; he pulled his knees to his chest and hung his head. “I’m good.”


	4. Bonding - Latts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still so happy that this is getting read! I love y'all a lot. I'm not really sure how I feel about this little ficlet, but I can tell you it was a lot more work than the others so far. (I wrote something, procrastinated, deleted it, and wrote this today. I generally like to let things sit a little bit before I post it so I can change things if I want, but whatever.) 
> 
> So some things about this chapter: It's very gay. It's a Latts/Ventress ship chap maybe with some Sugi added in there (it's kind of up to interpretation). There are mentions of sex and alcohol - I think that's it.
> 
> So, as always, if you have a request for which characters/ships you would like to see, let me know in the comments!

It was a lazy evening - a rarity for a bounty hunter, especially one as popular as Latts. Sure, she wasn't quite as popular as Cad Bane and Embo quite yet, but the demand for her was still more than she could handle. On the one hand, it was nice; but on the other, it was more stress than she wanted to deal with.

So she had taken a much needed night off, which she spent in her girlfriend’s arms; Asajj was not one of the most cuddly people she had ever met, so the contact was nice. The Dathomirian woman was guarded and mysterious - it took a lot more time for Latts to break through the Dathomirian's walls than she was expecting. They had only recently gotten to a place where Asajj felt comfortable sharing her feelings and attempting intimacy; Latts savored every moment they had together.

Latts was so content with her girlfriend that she completely forgot the third person chilling in their room; she was currently sitting upside-down on the armchair in the corner. In her pale hands rested a magazine - it looked like some sort of girlie mag, although Latts was confused as to where she managed to find it.

“Why is she here again?” Asajj inquired into Latts’ shoulder; Latts just shook her head and chuckled.

“Well, we were going to go clubbing if you didn’t end up taking the night off.” Sugi lifted her head at the mention of their night out and shot the both of them with her finger guns. Asajj just shook her head; Latts knew she was wary of Sugi’s intentions, seeing as she was both a higher leveled bounty hunter and Latts’ ex. But Sugi got along with almost everyone, and Latts knew that it was only a matter of time before Asajj grew fond of the Zabrak.

“You guys didn’t kick me out so I figured you wanted me here,” Sugi added, a sort of sly smile resting on her face. She flipped the page of the mag and snickered, before lifting the page to show the other women. “Is this your spread, Lattsy?”

“Oh, shut up.” Latts chuckled, before burying her face into the crook of her girlfriend’s neck; she sighed, contently, before peering up at the Dathomirian. “Tell me a story.”

“A story?” Asajj inquired, her tone betraying that she was confused. Latts nodded, before looking up at her. “About what?”

“I don’t know.”

“I know. Tell us about your time as a Sith Assassin.” Sugi had a sort of devious grin on her face as she mentioned this; Asajj stiffened and Latts could tell that this topic made her uncomfortable. “Oh, don’t pretend that your face wasn’t on the holonet every night because of your efforts against the Republic. Not that I blame you - the Jedi are annoying.”

It was silent for a moment as Asajj untangled herself from Latts’ arms; she sat up and rested her body against the headboard of the bed.

“Alright. Only if you tell me about your time as a stripper.” Asajj bit back, much to Latts’ and Sugi’s surprise. Sugi was quiet for a moment, as if she had trouble processing this; her face then split into a grin, and she let out the loudest laugh she could muster. 

“I like you.” She shifted her body so she was sitting up, before she tossed the mag onto the ground. Latts noted the faint smile on Asajj’s face and marked this down as a small victory. It was nice to see that they were at least making an effort to get along.

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to your boyfriend?” Asajj goaded, her hand gently stroking Latts’ hair.

“He has a name, ya know.” Sugi narrowed her eyes playfully as she rested her chin on her fist. “And, no. I’m pretty sure he’s indisposed at the moment.”

Latts snickered into her fist, noting the frown on Asajj’s face; Latts didn’t blame her for her confusion since she was still pretty new to the game and hadn’t quite gotten to know her rivals. The complexity of the relationships between the bounty hunters could easily be lost on anyone who didn't know them very well.

“Let’s just say that the big guy likes a bit of skinny, blue ass every now and then,” Latts whispered, and Asajj’s eyes widened a bit. 

“Really? You don’t mind?” She asked the Zabraki woman, who just shook her head.

“No.” Sugi scoffed as she retracted a cig from her pocket and lit it with a lighter she found on the side-table beside her. “What you have to understand is that we call each other rivals, but it’s only true when we're working. We tend to have.... interesting relationships when we're not.”

“You’ll understand it the more you get to know everyone,” Latts reassured as she snatched the cig from Sugi and took a huff; she then offered the cig to Asajj, who turned her down. “Hey Sugi, mind grabbing the wine in the kitchen? I feel like we could use some.”

Sugi nodded and left the room, allowing Latts to focus on her girlfriend; Asajj watched the Zabrak leave, but her expression was damn near unreadable. Latts couldn’t tell if Asajj was annoyed by Sugi or was actually starting to click with her.

“How are you doing?” Latts inquired, and Asajj’s attention snapped toward her.

“Fine.” Her tone was unreadable too, and this bugged Latts; it tended to happen more than Latts was comfortable with, but she didn’t blame the Dathomirian. The woman was used to forcing her emotions to the back of her mind so she didn't have to deal with them; in a way, Latts could relate.

“I can make her leave if you want. She’s my friend, but you don't have to like her for me.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about her,” Asajj admitted as her eyes snapped toward the door; she paused, as if making sure the Zabrak wasn’t bursting in, before continuing. “I don’t trust her.”

“You don’t trust anyone,” Latts noted, and Asajj nodded distractedly. “But if you’re uncomfortable…”

“No, no I’m fine. She’s kind of…..fun?” She sounded uncertain as these words passed through her lips; Latts grasped her hand and held it tightly.

“Yeah, she can be. But be careful - she can also get you into all sorts of trouble.” Latts grinned, before pressing a small kiss to her girlfriend’s lips.

“And you don’t?” Asajj chuckled as she grasped her girlfriend’s face; they shared a few short kisses before they realized that the Zabrak woman had returned. She held the wine in her hand, a sort of bewildered look playing on her face. 

“If you ladies want me to leave…” She set the wine down on the little side table beside the armchair she had been sitting in. “I’m okay with hitting the road if you need some… time.”

Latts and Asajj shared a glance before they both shook their heads; she returned to her armchair and took a swig off of the wine bottle.

“Since your boyfriend is off fucking another man, you can stay here for the night.” It was Asajj who suggested this, which surprised Latts; she watched as a smile twisted onto the Dathomirian’s face, betraying that she was up to no good.

Sugi looked down at the bottle of wine, before nodding. “I think I just might have to.”

And thus began a very good night.


	5. Lazy Morning - Embo/Cad Bane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this little ficlet was requested by Winters_stars21. I hope you all enjoy it - this was a really fun fic to write, as I don't write about this pairing as much as I should.
> 
> So things about this chapter: obviously, this is very gay. There are mentions of sex, and there is some provocative content. Other than that, there isn't much - it's called Lazy Morning for a reason. (Other than the fact that I am shitty at titling things.)
> 
> I'll still take requests at this point, but I am currently working on a sort of 'mini series' that will be posted within this fic - so I can't guarantee when it will be posted. Also, if you want to talk bounty hunters, my tumblr is 'iridonian-goddess'
> 
> As always, thank you for reading this! Enjoy!

Embo didn’t realize that he had fallen asleep until he woke the next morning; harsh neon lights poured into the window through the cracked blinds and rested on his face. There was something unsettling about waking to that kind of light, but he was used to it; he hadn’t awoken to the sun in a while now.

He rolled onto his side, a small groan leaving his lips; he was a morning person, so any light -be it real or fake- would rouse him. However, without looking at a chrono, it was truly hard to determine whether it was the morning or evening from the light alone.

He propped himself up on his elbow and grasped the chrono on the stand beside him; it read 7:00, but wouldn't relay to him whether it was day or night. He sighed and rubbed his face, savoring how warm the blankets were. He shook the thought from his head and decided it was time to face the day.

He observed the room around him, noting that it was not his room - nor was it Sugi’s room; it was a small studio-style apartment, most likely meant for one inhabitant. As his eyes scoured the floor, he began to recognize items in the home; an iconic hat rested on the table, and a familiar trench coat was slung over the back of the chair. As his eyes roamed, he noted more familiar items - most of them his- hastily strewn about the floor.

He sent a glance over his shoulder, noting the sleeping form of Cad Bane - the most feared bounty hunter in the entire galaxy. And yet…. He looked peaceful as he slept, with the blanket pulled up to his chin and his head resting on fluffed pillows. Most people would be confused or concerned if they woke up next to the Duros - but this was just a normal weekend for Embo.

He quietly climbed out of the queen-sized bed, the cold air biting his bare body; he yawned and stretched, his fingers brushing against the ceiling. He was now faced with a dilemma; he could gather his clothes and leave before Cad awoke, or he could face the same, awkward post-sex morning they always tried to avoid. He didn’t want to seem like a douche - but at the same time, it was better if they didn’t have to go through the motions. Cad was very clear about keeping this thing of theirs ‘no strings attached’, and Embo didn’t fight it. However, he felt as though facing the morning together was too intimate for their current relationship. It felt…. Wrong.

He bit his lip, before shaking his head; if Cad wanted him to leave when he woke up, he would - but leaving beforehand was too much of a dick move in his opinion. Instead of grabbing for his clothes like he thought he might, he made his way to the refrigerator; he pulled it open and frowned slightly when he noted that it was fairly devoid of nutrition. He then opened the cabinets and peered inside; Cad really didn’t have much - just some instant noodles, ‘Death Cavern Caf’, and a biscuit mix.

Embo smiled and shook his head; he reached for the biscuit mix and retrieved the blue milk from the fridge. Perhaps breakfast would help break the ice.

He read the instructions on the box of mix, before getting to work; he was so involved that he didn’t notice the stirring from the bed. He poured in an approximate amount after realizing that Bane didn’t have measuring cups, before winging the blue milk measurement. He stirred the batter, and froze when he felt arms sliding around his waist; he hadn’t expected Bane to awake for another hour or so.

“What are you doing?” Cad asked as he leaned his head against Embo’s shoulder; the Kyuzo smiled slightly, before setting a pan down on the stove.

“I’m trying to make breakfast. But that’s difficult with you clinging to me.” Embo teased, noting that Cad tightened his grip instead of loosening it. This was an unusual occurrence; more often than not, they would share awkward glances and not speak until Embo left.

“Won’t your girlfriend be expecting you?” Cad inquired as he pressed a kiss to the Kyuzo’s shoulder; Embo shivered as he shook his head.

“I’m pretty sure she can handle herself. She has a great many friends.” Embo chuckled as he poured the batter into the pan; he turned toward the Duros man, who peered up at him with hooded red eyes. Cad’s fingers dug into Embo’s back as he pulled them as close together as possible; Embo sucked in a breath as Cad gently sucked at the flesh of his neck.

“Did you put the caf on?” He whispered, his hot breath caressing Embo's neck; Embo's eyes slid shut and he shook his head.

“Not yet.” Cad grinned as he pulled away from Embo to prepare the caf machine; he then hopped up onto the counter and observed what Embo was doing.

Embo glanced over at Cad, trying to get a read as to why he was acting so strange; he didn’t look sick, and while they did drink last night, he doubted that the Duros was still drunk. After pondering for awhile, Embo couldn’t come to a conclusion as to why Cad was acting so strangely.

“What’s different?”

“Huh?” Cad asked, feigning innocence.

“Why are you acting like this?” Embo flipped the cakes he had poured onto the pan, before turning back toward the Duros hunter. “You usually give me the cold shoulder.”

Cad chuckled. “I guess the sex was really great last night.”

Embo just rolled his eyes as he focused on the odd little cakes in the pan; it wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy this side of Cad, he just didn’t want to get used to it. Cad would probably be back to normal the next time they decided to meet. 

Cad tapped him on the shoulder, drawing Embo’s attention away from the food; he gently removed Embo’s mask and pressed a small kiss to the Kyuzo’s lips. Embo gasped as Cad gently cradled Embo’s head; they savored the moment for a while before Embo pulled away. He removed cakes from the heat, before quickly meeting Cad’s glance; he looked away, feeling akin to a schoolboy with a crush. He grabbed two disposable plates, and split the cakes evenly; he then handed a plate to Cad, and meandered toward the bed.

Cad followed him, and they both took a seat against the headboard; the apartment was filled with silence as they ate and snuck glances at each other. 

“Ya know,” Cad began, his free hand reaching out to caress Embo’s thigh. “You can stay here as long as you want.”

Embo gave him a small grin - a rare occurrence as he was usually confined to wearing his mask; he grabbed Cad’s hand, and brought it to his lips.

“I wish I could. But eventually, duty will call.” He gave Cad a wink, before setting the plate aside; he sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest, and stiffened slightly when Cad rested his head on Embo’s thighs. 

“Duty? Or will it be your girlfriend?” 

“Both. I wouldn’t be surprised if she calls at some point.” Embo chuckled. In the event that she did call, he knew that there would be no problem - save her being annoyed that he wasn’t already on his way to their apartment.

“Is she the jealous type?”

“Gods no.” Embo reached for his mask, only for Cad to steal another kiss; he grinned largely as he popped the metal contraption back into place. “We have a completely open relationship.”

Cad nodded understandingly as he sat up and leaned against the Kyuzo; a beep rang out, and Embo just shook his head. He grabbed for his comm., and promptly answered it. “Yes, dear?”

“Babes, it’s time to get your lazy asses out of bed.” She drawled, another voice chiding her in the background. “It’s eight in the morning. Wait…. It’s eight in the morning?”

Embo just chuckled as he stood and started to gather his clothing. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

“I don’t think so.” She hissed as the comm. fell silent; Embo met Cad’s gaze for a moment before the Duros spoke.

“So this is goodbye for now?”

“Guess so. I need to get her home before she passes out.” Embo sighed as he balled his pants in his hand; he could tell that Cad was a little disappointed, but the Duros refused to say anything.

“I think I’m transcending life itself,” Sugi whispered after a while, causing Cad to snicker into his fist. “I swear I can see the afterlife.”

“How many cups of caf have you had?” Cad inquired as he rolled onto his stomach and rested his head on his arms.

“Five big cups of ‘Death Cavern’ and more than three cups of Latts’ shitty tea. I stopped counting after Asajj had to leave for a gig; Latts just kept brewing the stuff and I was too distracted to stop her.”

“I think that’s enough caffeine to kill someone.” Embo frowned as he wriggled into his shirt and sat down to pull his boots on; he loved Sugi, he really did, but she didn't have much self-control sometimes. She tended to go completely overboard without really noticing, and it was often a hazard to her health; unfortunately, this little caffeine charade of hers was not out of the ordinary.

“Okay, on second thought, you aren’t going anywhere.” Latts took over the comm., her voice betraying that she was just a little bit frazzled. “Ah, Embo, don’t worry about picking her up; I don’t think she should be moved right now.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, no, I think I can handle this. She’ll eventually crash.” Latts chuckled at Sugi’s ramblings in the background. “Just…. Enjoy the rest of your day. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Alright. Thanks, Latts.” The transmission ended, and he set the communicator down on the table beside him; he noted Cad wide grin and knew the Duros was up to no good. He reached for his kama and hat, stiffening slightly when a blue hand grabbed his wrist.

“You don’t have to leave,” Cad reassured, the tips of his fingers caressing Embo’s skin; Embo's hand returned to his lap, and he cocked a browridge.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmm.” Cad answered as he approached Embo; he took a seat on the Kyuzo’s lap and chuckled. “Now, how ‘bout we get you out of these clothes again.”


	6. Dwelling In The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is going to be a bit of an oddity - it is the introduction to a small series of ficlets I'm writing. I'm posting the first part about a day after this, but from then on it will resume the usual weekly update. Bear with me, as this is going to be OOC - but as I stated in the first chapter, a majority of this is writing practice. I wanted to try to expand upon the pasts of bounty hunters and I figured that tying them all together would make a more cohesive series.
> 
> Before I forget, thank you for the hundred reads! It's amazing to come this far, and I love that people are still reading this. I wasn't sure if there was an audience for this kind of fic, and it's nice to know that people are at least giving it a try. My sincerest hope is that I inspire others to write about some of the characters I write about. 
> 
> If you have questions about certain aspects of characterization, or just want to talk about bounty hunters, message me on tumblr at iridonian-goddess. I promise I won't bite, and I love to talk headcanons.
> 
> Okay, now for the warnings. This little intro ficlet includes the following: alcohol, drug use, scars, and mentions of both homophobia and explosions. If I ever forget to mention things, I promise it's not on purpose; I would never want to trick people into reading things that make them uncomfortable.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

If one was to ask the bounty hunters how well they knew each other, they would generally say they didn’t know each other at all. And as some of the most adept liars in the galaxy -behind politicians, of course- most would believe them. There was no way career rivals would get along, right? It wouldn’t make sense.

Well, that idea was wrong. It turned out they got along fairly well - when no one else was looking, of course. In fact, on those rare nights when they all had the night off, they would hang out. Discreetly. At an unknown location. Under the cover of darkness.

It was one of those nights; they had gathered in a warehouse that belonged to one of Embo’s friends, even though the locations of each other’s apartments were no secret. A large, round table had been placed there for them when they arrived, along with the appropriate amount of uncomfortable, collapsible chairs. Latts had been nice enough to bring some homemade goodies, while Sugi had brought the booze. It was a nice little gathering - not too raucous, not too understated.... just perfect.

Well, to almost everyone. Cad had brought holocards and poker chips with the apparent intention of coercing some of the other hunters into gambling, but everyone seemed uninterested by the time he set everything up. He tried not to pout as he shoved everything back into their respective boxes.

“What’s the point of seeing your ugly faces if we don’t actually do something?” Cad mumbled under his breath, his attention snapping to the chuckling Kyuzo to his left.

“We are doing something, Cad. We’re drinking.” Sugi snickered as she took a puff of her cig; it was unclear at this point if she was smoking tabac or Habica, a hallucinogenic from Phatrong. It would not have been surprising if it was the latter, seeing as she and her boyfriend just arrived back from the jungle world. “And communing.”

“Communing.” Aurra scoffed as she knocked back her glass of whiskey; her pale fingers twitched as if she was itching for a fix. It was most unlike Aurra to get to the point of withdrawal, for she was well aware that it made her miserable. “I’d rather commune with a group of fucking Jedi - correction, I would rather 'hang out' with Jedi younglings.”

“You know Aurra, if you don’t want to be here, you can leave,” Latts smirked and cocked a brow; the group looked over at the pale woman, who huffed and shook her head. “I mean, it’s not like we’re holding you hostage.”

“Or are we?” Dengar joked, propping his feet up on the table and shooting Aurra a cocky grin. Tension filled the air as everyone remembered that they were armed; it wasn’t that anyone was terribly worried that a firefight would break out….. But it was a small reminder that no one really trusted each other.

It was silent for a moment before Sugi let out a small chuckle, which grew into a rather uproarious laugh; everyone turned to her, confused, and she sobered as she grabbed her drink.

“I was just thinking about how terribly depressing my life is.”

“And that’s funny?” Dengar inquired, noting the nods of most of the hunters there. “Y’all have a terrible sense of humor.”

“Sometimes, it’s the only way that people know how to process things.” Embo mused, as he looked down at Sugi and then Cad. “I’d say that a fair majority of us have had pretty shitty lives.”

“Oh yeah? You had a shitty life?” Aurra scoffed as she massaged her temples. “Mr. ‘I grew up in an upper-class family with my nineteen siblings’.”

“There are other things that have contributed to my life than just my family, you know.” Embo retorted, his eyes locking with Sugi’s for a moment. He thought for a moment, as if debating on whether or not he wanted to reveal so much about himself. After a few seconds of a sure internal debate, he continued. “I was in the military. I’ve dealt with substance abuse and homelessness and homophobia…. The list goes on. It’s not just your upbringing that can suck.”

“Oh, oh! Take off your shirt and tell them the story.” Sugi clapped enthusiastically, although no one was sure if it was because Embo was taking his shirt off, or because she particularly enjoyed this story.

Embo shook his head and stood, unstrapping his armor and tossing it to the side. He pulled his shirt off and turned around, revealing a network of spider web-like scars that covered his entire back. “I have them across my ass and down my legs too.”

“How the hell did that happen?” Latts inquired, her brows furrowed as she leaned forward to observe the scars closer; despite hanging around Sugi - and, by extension Embo- a lot, she couldn't say that she remembered seeing such scars. Although, that was probably attributed to the fact that she was more interested in the Zabrak woman than any man in the vicinity. “They look like burn scars. Were you in a fire?”

“Close. It was an explosion.” Embo shivered at the mention of the explosion before he sat back down; he didn’t bother to put his shirt back on, much to the pleasure of both of his partners. “This happened…… gods, almost ten years ago now.”

“Is this going to be interesting?” Aurra sighed; Embo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Yes, Ms. Sing - I believe it is.” He growled, before leaning forward a little. “It all started back on Phatrong. I was eighteen - fresh out of the academy…..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, sorry the next one is going to be about Embo. I know he's had a lot of the spotlight recently but he is one of the easiest to write for me. Another reason he's going first is because I love creating headcanons for Phatrong/the Kyuzo and wanted to share some of these headcanons with people. I'm literally in love with the species so...
> 
> But yeah. Hope you enjoyed this short..... introduction... or whatever the fuck it is.


	7. The Past - Embo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again! So you'll notice this is written in third person when it's supposed to be as if the character themselves are supposed to be telling the story and there is a reason for that: the reason is that I'm not truly comfortable writing from the first person perspective, and I think you can get more out of a story with a wider, third person view. So it may feel a little awkward, but I'm hoping that is not truly a problem.
> 
> So, just to let y'all know, this little series probably isn't going to be a very happy one, so if you're looking for something happy I would go elsewhere. I really like exploring the vulnerable sides of characters, and find that this is easiest when one tortures them. I'll probably be posting more light-hearted content after this, to make up for this mess.
> 
> Warnings: This ficlet is really brutal and graphic - it includes murder and death and a violent explosion. (It involves the murder of children, just as a warning.) It's not for the really faint of heart. This also mentions the military and police.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy. (Also, read the note at the end for clarification about Kyuzo culture/Phatrong.)

Most Warriors didn’t get to see action in their tours of duty; most would cycle through the extensive training period and become glorified security guards for the planet’s most sacred temples. Only the most accomplished young men, women, and gender non-conforming persons would join the Warrior’s ranks; they acted dually as the planet’s police force and its military, and it was seen as honorable to be a part of this.

Embo, for all intents and purposes, would’ve been fine guarding temples for his tour; in fact, he wanted to stay out of combat as much as possible. But, it just wasn’t meant to be. It turned out that he had a sort of talent for fighting, and this impressed many of his instructors; and when he graduated, he was transferred back to the barracks instead of a temple like he had planned.

A few days after the barracks started to empty, he was thrust into training once more - much to his chagrin. He just accepted it for what it was at this point; he was a Warrior, and there was nothing he could do about it.

His first, and - well- his only raid took place not long after he began retraining; the Warriors around him remarked how odd it was that he was given an assignment this early. When he asked, they told him it was probably because they wanted to see if he was General material like his older brother was. This didn’t settle his nerves much.

The small group of Warriors was dispatched to a small village not far from their home base. Embo immediately felt odd sitting between veteran Warriors; it was obvious that they were much more seasoned fighters than he. And by the expressions on their faces, he knew they didn’t like the idea of an unpracticed green joining them on this mission.  
He shifted uncomfortably on the seat of the speeder, and watched as the soldier beside him sharpened her sword with a whetstone.

“Listen, kid, the field is a lot different from the academy. Any situation can go wrong, no matter how unlikely it seems.” Embo’s attention snapped toward the man across from him; he was the oldest person on the patrol, and this was denoted by the tick marks carved into his armor. “Stay at the back of the group and you’ll be fine.”

He nodded, readjusting the grip of his bowcaster. Unlike his brother Kyro, he wasn’t comfortable playing hero; staying at the back of the group was a safe play, he figured.

“Don’t worry the kid, Mirca.” The woman beside him chuckled as she observed the edge of her blade. “It’s just a drug sweep.”

“It always pays to stay on your toes. People are unpredictable.” Mirca rolled his eyes as the two Warriors fell silent; the grinding of the whetstone against the blade and the speeder were the only noises to be heard. The Hebiseau and the usual avians that would dot the sky were nowhere to be found, and this only cemented just how odd this felt to Embo.

Embo pried his eyes from the sky, his eyes instead connecting with the metal hat at his feet. It was custom for villages to come together to create weapons for their Warriors, and the hat happened to be what he was gifted. He was sure that his mother was the principal designer, as it looked to be more of a shield than a weapon. 

“Hey, kid, are you alright?” The woman beside him inquired as she rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Mirca scoffed as he leaned over the side of the speeder to get their bearings.

“I’m sure he’s just got pre-raid jitters, Lilki.” 

“Just shut up and let the kid speak for once.” Lilki snapped as the speeder screeched to a halt; she strapped the sword to her side and gently picked up the hat. “You can sit here if you want. We won’t tell anyone.”

Embo frowned as he took the hat from her, and gently set it on his head; it was the first time he had actually tried to wear the thing, and he was surprised with how light it was. He readjusted it, before shaking his head.

“I can do this.” He whispered, mostly to himself, as he climbed over the edge of the speeder. Mirca and Lilki started off first, their weapons holstered; Embo turned toward the driver, who hopped out of the speeder and gave Embo a small grin. They caught up with the other two, and Embo followed them closely; he faltered at the doorway, his hand reassuringly gripping the stock of his bowcaster. Something about this place felt wrong to Embo, but he stayed silent.

He passed through the door, noting that the place was eerily quiet; the others spread out across the first floor, allowing Embo to wander around the house. Children’s toys were scattered around the family room, and dishes were piled up near the sink; he shuffled toward the family room and picked up a small stuffed Hebiseau. 

He held the stuffed animal in his hand, frowning as he observed the toy. It was worn, with mismatching patches covering the once soft, blue fabric; it was missing an eye and one of its wings was torn in half. It was obviously the favorite toy of a child, and yet…..

He looked around, and listened closely for the sound of children; the only noises he could hear were his companions clearing the house and the sound of the old house settling. He had not known about horror vids until later, but when he looked back on this day, he swore that was what it felt like. There was a terrifying sort of anticipation boiling within him as if he was waiting for something to happen.

He gently tucked the toy under his arm and waited for his compatriots to meet with him at the bottom of the stairs. One by one they appeared, before slowly climbing the stairs; at this point, they held their weapons in their hands - and Embo could tell this was serious.

They split up, each moving toward a separate room; Mirca gestured for Embo to follow him, and they slowly inched toward the last door. Mirca raised his blaster, before pushing the door open; a loud gasp reverberated in the room before he popped his head out.

“Lilki, Revik, I found the family.” He called, drawing the attention of the other Warriors; Embo stepped inside, and time seemed to stop.

The bodies of two children lay face down in pools of their own blood, mangled cuts adorning their wrists and backs. A woman was curled up on the right side of the bed, her throat torn open by what Embo assumed was the same blade used against the children. Embo allowed the others to inspect the scene closer, trying not to pay much attention as he set the toy next to the youngest corpse. He fled toward the window across the room, flinging it open and inhaling as much fresh air he could manage. He gripped the windowsill tightly as a range of emotions swirled in his head.

“It wasn’t suicide, I can tell you that.” Embo’s attention snapped toward Lilki; she frowned as her fingers traced the cut on the woman’s throat. Her frown only deepened when Mirca pushed past her to inspect the closet door. “She was murdered by someone. And it’s fairly fresh.”

“Do you think they knew we were coming?” Revik inquired, to which Mirca shrugged.

“I doubt it.” Embo turned away and sighed, his eyes scanning the treeline for movement; he just barely registered the quiet beeps of a countdown, before a loud noise shook the room and felt himself going airborne through the window.

He landed on the ground with an unceremonious ‘crunch’, his head pounding and spots dancing in front of his eyes; he slipped into unconsciousness for a while.

He wasn’t sure how long he had laid there on the ground before the pain caught up to him. A strangled scream left his lips as his eyes shot open; the flesh of his back and legs felt as though it was melting from his bones. Debris and shrapnel protruded from his body, and he felt as though he was being stabbed every time he tried to gasp for breath.

He let out a small sob, his shaking fingers reaching for something, anything; he tried to sit up, but this only caused him more pain. He twisted his head to the side, hoping to see one of this companions; but all he saw was fire and destruction.

“Mirca?” He croaked as he slowly turned his head to the opposite side; his eyes caught on something that looked metallic in the distance, although he couldn’t tell what it was at this point. He pushed up on the heels of his hands, careful to avoid driving the shrapnel deeper into his hands; he rested on his knees and tried to catch his breath. His vision faded in and out, dizzyingly, and he could barely hear anything but himself. 

He slowly crawled toward the shiny object, noting that it was his hat; much to his surprise, it seemed structurally sound. He gently picked it up, and tucked it under his armor; he prayed that it would stay in place, before looking around again. There was a lot of carnage….. But he couldn’t see any of the other Warriors. 

‘Maybe they gathered at the speeder.’ He slowly crawled toward the front of the house, noting that the building itself was still burning. He could feel the heat against his face, and for a moment, he was sure that his face was going to melt just like his legs. He skirted around the house as far as he could and nearly passed out from pain when he reached the speeder. 

He paused for a moment, before turning to look at his legs; luckily, they weren't actually melting but the damage done to them was pretty severe. He peeled his eyes away, trying not to vomit, before climbing up into the speeder. He leaned back against the seat and waited.

He faded in and out of consciousness for hours; when he finally woke up, his eyes fell on a now smoldering wreck. The ringing in his ears had stopped, and he was no longer seeing spots; he stared down at his shredded hands, before looking out at the wreckage. With all the strength he had left, he stood.

“Mirca? Lilki? Revik?” He called, as loud as he could muster; he waited a moment, trying to focus on any noise he heard. And then, he was faced with a terrible decision: he knew he needed help or he would eventually die, but if he left he would risk losing everyone else. He called out once more but was greeted with the same silence.

His hands shook as he gripped the steering wheel, the shrapnel digging deeper into his flesh of his palms; he couldn’t wait any longer. He gazed out at the pile of ash sadly, before starting the speeder, and driving away.

-

“Oh my gods……” Latts whispered as she promptly poured herself another drink. “How did you survive that?” 

“I was the furthest away from the bomb.” Embo sighed. “It was one of those ‘in the right place at the right time’ situations. Had Mirca opened that closet a few minutes before or after, I could’ve died too.”

The room was silent for a while as if everyone was processing what he had just told them. It was a strangely intimate story to be telling a room filled with career rivals. He didn't seem to mind, though; he just wrapped his arm around Sugi's shoulders and nuzzled against her.

“I guess that was interesting.” Aurra was the one to break the ice, much to everyone’s surprise. “But I still think I can out do you."

"You really think so?"

"Of course." Aurra rolled her eyes as she looked around the room. "My mom was the only family I had…. But I never really liked the bitch….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some of you may be confused about what exactly was going on. So I'll try to explain my headcanons to the best of my ability.
> 
> Warriors - So, the Warriors are a combination of a police force and the military, like I explained in the fic. The Warriors were around since the beginning of memory, and they served as protectors of the Kyuzan gods; so being a Warrior started out being symbolic, which is why they mainly guard temples. But the heads of the Phatrongi government started to realize that they had no way of preventing crime, so they took the best of the best to patrol and diffuse potentially violent situations.   
> Potential Warriors are groomed to fight as soon as they can walk, mostly by their parents; not all Kyuzo have to become Warriors, but it is literally one of the highest honors one can achieve. By the time said child is about thirteen, they are culled from their villages and taken to an 'Academy', where they are professionally trained for five years. Those who don't make the cut get to guard temples while the more prolific Warriors get further training and opportunities to 'rank up', so to speak. They handle drug raids, murder cases, break-ins, etc like police would, but they also are to defend the planet if the need arose.   
> The Warriors are by no mean perfect; in fact, many of them are very corrupt. But that's a discussion for another day.
> 
> Hebiseau - Imagine Chinese dragons that are just about as long as your arm, with wings. That's basically what a Hebiseau is. They are prized off-world for their beauty and their 'exotic' charm, but to most people, they are just nuisances. They are predatory, but don't go out of their way to attack the Kyuzo; they just really, really enjoying bugging the shit out of people. Still, they can be domesticated and make adequate pets.
> 
> There you go people! If you have more questions, send me an ask on my tumblr! (Please, I'm just a lonely fanfic writer lol)


	8. The Past - Aurra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the second part. I have never in my life wrote Aurra Sing, so this was a little difficult. But I think I liked how this turned out regardless of that.
> 
> I just want to say thank you for reading this. It's a real confidence boost. I especially want to thank Winters_star21 because of their continued support - it means a lot.
> 
> Warnings: Mentions of prostitution, drug use, and murder. At the very end there is a mention of child brides. I think that's it.
> 
> As always, my tumblr is iridonian-goddess and I am still taking requests. (Just know that I have four more fics after this to post so you may not see it for a while.) Thanks!

Aurra was used to being alone. She had been on her own since the tender age of eleven, when she ran away from her hellhole of a home. To say she was a cynical child was an understatement. She learned from a young age to trust no one - that everyone was only in it for themselves, and that kindness was a weakness that was easily exploited. 

Her mother was the first person to teach her this; she had never been an affectionate woman, this much Aurra could remember. In fact, her mother seemed to openly dislike Aurra. Aurra could remember overhearing her mother talking to one of her few friends, mentioning how Aurra was just a parasite leeching away her credits. Aurra always held a grudge after that - as if she put the credits to better use….

Most of Aurra's childhood memories were spotty, but she could specifically remember that her mother was a prostitute - 'Johns' came and went from the apartment frequently, keeping her awake all night long. But the most striking thing Aurra could remember about the woman was not her sex work, but her intense love of drugs.

Aurra could recall finding her mother passed out on the couch, with a needle between her fingers and the residue of powder clinging to the caf table. She was bearable when she was quiet, though, so Aurra didn’t mind her addiction.

When she was lucid, it was a different story; she was a fit of screaming and slapping at the slightest provocation. Sometimes, Aurra just breathed in her direction and that was enough to set her off; when Aurra was a little older, she tried to figure out why her mother was the way she was. She tried to pass it off as stress, but she knew that wasn’t true; her mother was just a horrible person.

She was ten when she first came up with the idea of running away; she always had a bag packed, but never acted on her urges to leave. ‘Maybe she’ll change. Tomorrow will be different’. It never was. 

She finally decided to leave on her eleventh birthday, without a second thought; she lived in the darkened alleys for a few months, before stumbling upon a drug cartel that was searching for a new drug runner. They cleaned her up and taught her the ropes before sending her out on her own; by her fifteenth birthday, she was a pro.

On that special day, she was roused like every other morning; the chemist allowed her to throw on clothing before handing her a baggie and a muffin. And that was it; there was no celebration, no presents…. Not that she expected any of that. It’s not like her mother ever did any of that for her.

After she finished her muffin, she was given a set of coordinates and thrust out onto the streets; she stuffed the baggie into her pocket before looking down at the coordinates.  
When she had joined the cartel, she joined on one condition - that she didn’t do business in the area where her mother lived. They had honored that request for the most part, but there were instances where they sent her in that direction anyways. This was one such day, seeing as though the runner to this area had recently been….. Dispatched. 

She went begrudgingly, hoping her mother was not her customer that day. She hadn’t seen the woman in four years, but it would be just her luck.

She sulked through the winding labyrinth of alleyways that led away from the warehouse, before popping out into on of the main streets. When she was sure that no one was following her, she grabbed a death stick from her pocket and stuck it between her lips. She didn’t light it - not yet. She would reward herself after the deal went through - at this point, the death stick acted as an odd sort of 'security blanket'.

She anxiously chewed on the end of her death stick as she flagged a cab down. She hopped into the cab and directed the driver to her destination, her fingers tapping on the speeder's door. The thought of seeing her mother again made her anxious, and she couldn’t exactly figure out why. It just felt as though something awful was going to happen. And she hated when she felt like that.

The drive was a lot longer than she remembered it being, although this was alright with her; she watched as the buildings zoomed by and felt at peace for a moment. Well, as at peace a fifteen-year-old girl can feel when she's living on Nar Shaddaa. 

“It’s mighty odd to see a young girl like you alone.” The cabbie's comment didn’t make her feel anxious, although she later figured that it probably should’ve. But she was around guys and gals much tougher and more frightening than this cab driver all the time - so it sort of desensitized her. 

“I don’t want to talk.” She hissed, and the cabbie shut his mouth. She removed the death stick from her mouth and twirled it between her fingers, reveling in the way it crunched beneath her fingers.

“You know, those things will kill you.”

“I don’t care,” Aurra growled, before shoving the death stick back into her pocket. “There are a lot of things on this planet that will kill me.”

The man said nothing to this, and she was glad; the less bullshit she had to deal with, the better. She closed her eyes and grinned, soaking in the feeling of the wind blowing against her face; it might have chilled most people to the bone, but Aurra found that the cold was comforting. The cabbie muttered something about ‘kids these days’, but she ignored him and continued to bask in this short period of bliss.

She opened her eyes when she felt the speeder slowing down, a small sigh escaping her lips; the city square in question was bustling with life. Smells from five different restaurants wafted around her, making her stomach growl; she would have to return when she got her cut of the profits, so she could actually enjoy some of this junk. She gracefully maneuvered around the crowd, and her eyes locked with the meeting spot. She made her way toward it, trying to be as inconspicuous as she could; the drop-off zone was a run-down fountain that looked like it hadn’t functioned in decades. Plants were growing out of the bowl of the fountain, and Aurra swore this was the only place on the planet where plants grew.

She looked down at her chrono before her eyes swept across the crowd; her customer was to arrive in two minutes, but it looked as though no one was interested in her so far. She frowned and rested her elbows on her knees; if they didn’t show in ten minutes, she would have to move on. She had enough things to deal with that day.

She perked when she noted a woman shuffling toward her, looking quite like a zombie; her cheeks were hollow and her eyes were sunken. Aurra swore this woman was more of a skeleton than a person. Her skin was an ashy gray color, and her hair looked like it was coming out in clumps. The closer she got, the worse she looked; the only thing that was keeping this woman alive at this point was the contents of the baggie in Aurra’s pocket.

The woman stopped a few feet away, a thinly-penciled brow raised; Aurra mirrored this expression, confused as to why this woman seemed to be observing her so closely.

“Aurra? Is that you?”

The world around her came toppling down; Aurra recognized the woman now, with her dark eyes and malicious smile. Aurra shot up and turned away, her hand reaching for the drugs in her pocket.

“I have what you want. Just pay me and leave me alone.” Aurra hinted at the contents of her pocket, but the woman persisted.

“You just left me, you ungrateful child!” She spat as she looked down at the girl; Aurra took a step away, her other hand reaching for the pocket knife she always kept on her. Her fingers brushed against the wooden handle reassuringly.

“I have what you want. Just pay me and leave me alone.” Aurra repeated, taking a few more steps backward. No one around them seemed to notice -or care about- what was happening between the two, and it was just Aurra's luck. She could feel panic rise within her as her mother got closer; her entire childhood flashed before her eyes, highlighting the times when her mother was the most abusive. She blinked back the tears which threatened to trail down her cheeks.

“You left me for dead! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Aurra didn’t say anything; she just tossed the bag at the woman and backed away. She would’ve run, but the area was too crowded to allow this; her mother, remarkably, disregarded the drug and continued to approach.

“Please, just leave me alone.” Aurra’s grip on the knife tightened until she couldn’t feel her hand anymore. The woman swung her fist toward Aurra, but she blocked it; her mother tried again, but again Aurra parried.

With what little strength she had, her mother gripped Aurra’s collar and shook her; Aurra panicked and expanded the knife, before plunging it into the frail woman’s chest. The woman coughed, a bit of blood spewing from the corner of her mouth; she released her grip on Aurra and stumbled backward until she fell onto the ground.

“I hope…. You rot…. In Hell.” She spat as she tried to sit up, her hand clutching the bloody wound on her chest; she managed to crawl toward the fountain before she lost consciousness. Aurra, as stoic as she could be, approached the still breathing body and knelt down beside her.

“Can’t wait to see you there.” She whispered, before rooting around the woman’s pockets for her credits. After grabbing everything of value, she stood and walked away - and she never looked back.

-

The room was silent for a long time; Latts looked uneasy, as if this sort of story bugged her for some reason. Dengar was looking down at his hands, which were clasped and resting on the table; both Sugi and Cad looked unimpressed, however, and both had similar ‘are-you-serious’ expressions on their faces.

“That was heart-wrenching, it really was.” Sugi finished her drink, before meeting Aurra’s glance. “But I can do you one better.”

“How?” Latts inquired, as if Aurra’s story was the worst thing she could ever think of.

“At least she wasn’t the child bride of a warlord.”


	9. The Past - Sugi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to start off by warning you that this chapter is pretty brutal, and may be a bit hard to read. As a disclaimer, I want to let you know that I'm trying to treat these sorts of sensitive subjects seriously; it is not my intention to make this seem like a joke, and by no means do I condone what happens. My intention is to write about just how traumatic experiences can affect a person, and is in no way meant to downplay the experiences of real people. 
> 
> That being said, this chapter brings in the absolute worst OC I've ever created. If anyone had ever read 'Find Me' or the sequel 'Whispers in the Dark' on FF.net, you might recognize the name. (Don't try looking for it. It's long been deleted. Although, I'm still debating on whether or not I'm going to revive the series, seeing as though the third installation is eighty pages and counting.... and I would hate for it to go to waste.) Shayzeer Mianti is a villain I created around 2012-2013 ish to be the douchiest douchebag to ever exist; he was only really created because I didn't want to use an established villain as the baddie for my fic. Since he has been around, he has been an integral part of Sugi's story - which is why he is featured again.
> 
> Ok, so some warnings: as I mentioned, this story is very brutal. It involves heavy amounts of torture, violence and blood, and a pedophilic character in one Shayzeer Mianti. There are mentions of child sexual abuse, nudity, and cannibalism. (Believe it or not.) Please, don't read it if you don't think you can stomach it.

Sugi had lived on the streets for most of her childhood; her mother, bless the woman, was an innocent bystander killed in the fray of a gang war when little Sugi was six. She had nowhere to go, so she was tossed onto the street. For most of her life, she had been told that the dirt-laden alleyways housed a myriad of horrors, from the slavers to the cannibalistic street urchins that would prowl the alleys at night. And now….. This hell was her only home.

Luckily, not everyone who lived in these alleys wanted to harm her; she was taken under the wing of a wild woman with dirt-smeared skin. This woman and her small group of young girls took her in, and most importantly protected her from slavers; they all pitched in to teach her valuable skills like self-defense and pickpocketing, so she could help care for her new-found family. It wasn't perfect, but Sugi was pretty content.

But that changed one night; eight years had passed since her mother had died, and Sugi was slowly finding her place amongst the girl-group. In those eight years, a compound rose from the horizon; it seemed to grow every day, and this made the matriarch of the group antsy. She had told them stories of past warlords that had watched over the village, and warned them about trusting this foreigner - no matter what he offered them.

“They only want to take advantage of us.” She hissed as she poked the fire they sat around; it was dusk, and quickly growing cold. She passed a half-devoured femur off to Sugi, who tore at it greedily. The small group of girls watched as ships descended from the atmosphere; a chill ran down Sugi's spine, and she couldn't help but cringe.

-

“Wait…..Please tell me this was an animal femur and not a Zabrak femur.” Dengar shivered, a horrified look playing on his face. Sugi looked scandalized at first, before furrowing her tattooed brows.

“Do I really have to explain my situation?” Sugi huffed when she noticed a few curious glances, originating from the hunters across from her. She rolled her eyes incredulously, before resigning. “Iridonia is so desolate that there is a scary lack of food, especially if you’re homeless. Greenery rarely grows, so prey animals are scarce; all of our food is sourced from neighboring planets. And if food shipments get caught up in gang raids, villages have nothing. So, yes…...sometimes you have to cannibalize people in order to survive there. I wouldn't expect you to understand.”

The room was silent; Embo and Bane looked rather uninterested, as they had already known this for a while now. Latts shifted uncomfortably, Dengar looked downright disgusted….. And Aurra…. Well, her expression was hard to read. She almost looked impressed, but she hid her grin with her fist.

“Can I please get on with my story?” With no objections, she continued.

-

She had just barely finished her dinner when a ruckus was raised in the village center; Sugi ignored it, theorizing that it was just another gang fight. She had no interest in getting caught up in the middle of it - it would just prove troublesome. However, she refocused her attention when she realized that there was a suspicious lack of blaster fire.

“What’s going on?” Sugi inquired as she set the bone down by the fire; the matriarch slowly stood and meandered toward the end of the alleyway. She peered around, staring straight at whatever was happening for a good second, before whipping around.

"Run...RUN!" She yelled, and the group of ten girls scrambled up and away from the fire - except Sugi, that was. She pleaded with her body to move, knowing that whatever had spooked the older woman was probably fairly serious; she tried to move her appendages, but it was no use. Sugi stood stock still in fear, her eyes widening as a crowd of men rounded the corner and started charging at her. One man stopped in front of her, while the others fanned out - presumably to find the other girls. 

“What are you doing?” The matriarch hissed as the burly men caught Sugi’s arm and started dragging her toward the square.

“The Almighty Shayzeer demanded that we scour the village for his brides. All women must be presented to him.” Sugi finally snapped out of whatever fear-induced trance she had been in, before slapping the man on the back of his head. When he didn’t so much as flinch, she struggled and then resorted to biting into his arm; he let out a loud howl as she tore a chunk of flesh from his appendage and spat it in his face. He pulled her closer to him, his hand raised to smack her; he was stopped by a sveltely dressed red-head, who chuckled at the man’s predicament. 

“You see what that little bitch did to me?” The henchman growled as blood dripped from her lips; her face twisted into a smile as she gathered saliva in her mouth and spat it at her captor. He snarled and wiped the blood-saliva mix from his face; he let out an indignant roar and grabbed Sugi by her collar. “I swear I’ll kill you right here-.”

“Brunk, buddy......shut the fuck up and hand her over.” The red-head snorted, a threatening undertone present in his voice. Brunk passed Sugi over to the man, who gripped her arm tight enough to leave bruises. “You are….. Tenacious. I’ll give you that.”

“Burn in the afterlife, motherfucker.” She hissed, tempted to spit on this man too.

“Watch your profanity, dear.” He pulled her toward the center and squatted down, careful not to dirty his expensive-looking blood red suit. He may have been considered handsome by some, but Sugi found him utterly repulsive; his green eyes were cold and calculating, and his smile was marred by large scars. His skin was paler than even hers, which she wasn’t sure was possible until then. “How old are you, darling?”

Sugi didn’t answer him, her eyes narrowed in distrust. He frowned, obviously unhappy that she wasn’t cooperating; he went to speak, but his attention was drawn away from Sugi toward his men. A large group of them returned with a cadre of females, and the were all shoved to the ground beside Sugi; the haunting wails of families droned in the background, chilling Sugi to her core.

He started by turning away those who were too old for him; the matriarch of Sugi’s little clan and another middle-aged woman were released. The four women in their mid-twenties were also freed, leaving girls who were likely under nineteen; when Sugi looked back at it, she realized just how messed up this man was. It chilled her to think about the crowd of girls staring up at him…. Wondering if they would go home or spend the rest of their lives as a part of a harem…..

He started at the end of the line, picking girls he figured were ‘untouched’; they were passed on to his men, who tied them up and shoved them into the back of a large speeder. Sugi watched as they accepted their fates, a fire growing in her chest; and when the man - this ‘Almighty’ Shayzeer- stopped in front of her, she was determined to fight. She would rather die than give up, especially to a pig like this.

“I think you would make a perfect…. Project. What do you think, dear?” He cooed as he gently ran his fingers along her jaw; before he could pull away, Sugi snapped and bit the tip of his pointer finger clean off. She spat the nub at him, grinning when it hit him square in the chin; he looked furious at first, but as he stared down at the wound he began to laugh. “That was rather rude.”

He brought his bleeding finger to her the top of her head, and let the blood drip down her forehead; she let out a yip as he tightly gripped one of her horns in his hand.

“You are going to regret that.” He shoved her to the ground, before gesturing for his men to place her with the others.

-

She was separated from the other girls the moment they arrived back at the compound; Shayzeer had mentioned something about ‘setting the bloody girl straight’, but she couldn’t begin to imagine what this meant for her. She was pulled into a dimly lit room, where ‘servants’ of sorts wrestled the rags off of her body and shoved her toward the middle of the room. Sugi used her arms to cover her private parts and stood there in anticipation, watching as the servants lugged in buckets of water. Before she could ask about what it was they were doing, they upended the buckets above her. When she was thoroughly soaked, they shut off the lights and locked her inside.

Sugi wasn’t sure how long she was in there before they returned to wet her again; she had sat down on the freezing tiles, curled into a ball to conserve her body heat. She wasn’t sure if the water could get any colder, but it did every time they came back. There was a period of a few hours when they didn’t appear, and Sugi thought it was over; when she was warm enough to move again, she explored the room. And the moment she discovered where the door was, they returned to douse her again.

This process continued for what Sugi could only assume was days. She got a minuscule amount of sleep, managing to drift off only to be awoken by the water; she swore they did it on purpose and cursed them constantly.

After the fifth day of this torture, they pulled her out of the room and marched her to the area where the warlord sat. She was still as naked as the day she was born, and the way he looked at her made her skin crawl. She didn't want to try to imagine what he was thinking about.

“Do you think her attitude has changed?” Shayzeer inquired, leaning forward to look her over; his blood red suit had been replaced with a pink robe that he looked utterly ridiculous in. She was sure that someone would’ve said something to him, had they not been so afraid of him. She noted the bandage around his finger with a small grin.

“She hasn’t said a word since we grabbed her.”

Sugi wanted to ruin their day as much as she could; she sighed lowly, before wrenching her arms from the grasps of the servants. She let out a war cry and charged at Shayzeer, tackling the man with enough force to knock his throne over. They wrestled for control, her fangs gnashing near his ear; for a moment, he looked absolutely terrified. After a few seconds of tussling, he regained his composure and shoved her off of him.

“Hmm.. seems as though you aren’t doing a good enough job. Try something else.”

They dragged her away, kicking and screaming; she wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of going quietly. She didn’t want to let them win.

They brought her to the same room, where she figured they were going to continue to drench her with cold water - if only they had. Instead, they chained her to the wall and started in with an electro-whip; the device tore jagged lines into the flesh on her back until blood dripped down her legs. She could handle the cold, but the pain was another thing entirely; she let out a loud sob, tears threatening to cascade down her cheeks. She pulled at the chains, trying to escape from this hell; this only resulted in crushed wrists as her bonds tightened. 

After ten minutes of silence, one of Shayzeer’s new brides stepped into the room; Sugi couldn’t tell who it was in the dimly lit room, but she guessed that the girl was there to lecture her about her insolence.

“It’ll be better if you just give in.” She whispered as she drew close to inspect the wounds; Sugi shook her head incredulously. “Shayzeer is not a bad man if you give him a chance.”

“He is not a bad man, huh? Then why does he do this? Why did he take children to be his wives?” Sugi hissed, trying not to move as much as she could. Her wrists were probably broken at this point and she was losing feeling in her fingers - but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of asking for him to stop.

“Once you consummate your relationship….. It’ll be better. He doesn’t hurt us.” The thought of mating with the demon that enslaved her made her want to vomit; she wished that he would just kill her instead, and save himself the trouble. “You’re just being difficult at this point. You probably would have been betrothed to a man his age had he not culled us. Just be happy…. He is rich. He can treat us well.”

“No. I would rather be eaten alive.” Sugi snarled, and the girl jumped back; she gathered the fabric of her skirt in her hands, obviously ready to book it out of the room. “Leave me alone!”

And thus she left. Her torturer took over once more, giving the girl ten more lashes before unchaining her; they left her locked in the room once more, and finally….. Sugi cried. She let out all the emotions she had been bottling up, mourning her innocence and her battered body. Her wrists weren’t broken, luckily, but they were bruised so intensely that it felt as though they were.

She curled into a ball, and drifted off to sleep - only to be awoken a few minutes later by a shadowy figure. His fingers gently danced along her body, and she stiffened in response; she wanted to swat the hands away, but didn’t have the strength to.

“I know you would be my favorite if you behaved.” He cooed, the backs of his fingers caressing her cheeks; she didn’t nip at him this time. She just…. Let it happen. “I think you would enjoy being a wife. You would get all sorts of gifts and attention. People would adore you. Just.. give in.”

She didn’t say anything, and he took this as an affirmative; he gently helped her up before directing her out of the room. She felt weak, hungry, and too tired to function; she knew he had done this on purpose, and hated to admit that he broke her that easily. 

He led her to his bedroom, where a fire was roaring in a clay brick fire-place; he picked a rod out of the fire, admiring the glowing diamond brand at the end. He turned her to the side and pressed the burning diamond to her hip.

\- 

“And I think that’s where I’ll stop the story….. Because it gets a lot worse after that.” Sugi looked down at the ground and sighed; out of everyone who had told their stories so far, she looked the most shaken. She had paled a little bit and was fiddling with her thumbnail; Embo slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulder, watching for any indication that she was uncomfortable. Instead, she leaned against his chest and reveled in his warmth.

“How can that get any worse?” Dengar whispered, mostly to himself.

“You don’t want to know.” Sugi bit her lip until it bled; she cursed lowly, before wiping the blood on the back of her hand. “I was with that monster for five years before I was freed. He did….. Everything imaginable to keep me in my place. By the time I left him...... I was the only wife around; he had slowly killed off the other girls when he grew bored.”

Tension filled the room; the only noise audible was Embo quietly comforting his girlfriend, reminding her that it was the past and that Shayzeer wasn’t going to hurt her anymore. She nodded and buried her head in the crook of his arm.

“We can all agree that no one has had a more horrifying life than Hornhead over there. And my intention is not to try to top her - but since we’re sharing stories, I might as well tell mine.” Cad drew the attention away from Sugi, giving her a small smile at the nickname; she subtly flipped him off, earning a guffaw from the Duros. “Ah, darling….. Don’t be that way.”

She gave him a weak grin, before waiting for him to continue.

“Well…. My family was murdered by some fuckwad of a bounty hunter.”

“What a way to lead into a story.” Latts rolled her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would like a revamp of 'Find Me' or a multiple chapter backstory for Sugi, let me know!


	10. The Past - Cad Bane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I apologize for the cliff-hanger ending this has. Admittedly, I wasn't sure where I was going to go after Cad's story, so I decided it would be best to just end it in the best way possible. It's not satisfying, but it's all I could manage for this week. I've been a bit more tired recently, so it can be hard to concentrate long enough. 
> 
> Warnings: Murder. That's all.
> 
> I'll resume taking requests after this. If you would like to suggest a ship/characters and a prompt/plot point, you can do it here or on Tumblr. 
> 
> Enjoy!

For most of his life, Cad had a rather normal childhood; his mother and father were astronomers in the heart of Duro’s largest city. They lived in a rather quaint house in a nice part of the city; the small family lived quiet, sheltered lives. To the outside world, they would be considered a perfect little family; nothing ever seemed to go wrong, and they were always happy. 

Boy, was that a lie. 

Cad didn’t know it when he was younger, but his father was a compulsive gambler; he had discovered this much later in life, and parts of his life finally started to make sense. Often, his father would come home late, claiming to have been working overtime. Whether this was just to cover his tracks or he was actually working to cover his debts, Cad couldn't ever be sure. All he knew was that sometimes he wouldn’t see his father for days.

His mother tried to fill in the gaps when she could; she had never intended to be a homemaker, but she reluctantly gave up her career when Cad's little sister hatched. She was the one to wake him, feed him, get him off to school, and do the chores - all while caring for the tiny Duros girl. She was pulled in every direction, and this stressed her out - Cad, at ten, could sense this.

So he found himself watching her, trying to find something he could say to help her feel better. Had he said anything, his mother would’ve scolded him for worrying about her; she was the kind of person to internalize everything, as she didn't want to be seen as a burden. Whether she realized it or not, her stress was wearing on her; she grew thinner and thinner as the days passed. It concerned Cad to see her so skeletal.

And just like that, his life seemed to change. The walk to his school was quiet; he wasn’t sure what it was, but something felt…. Off. His mother looked more nervous than usual, tugging at her sleeves as if trying to distract herself from something. He had never seen her do this before. He watched her for a moment, before peering up at her with his big, red eyes.

“What’s wrong, mama?” Cad inquired, gently gripping her hand; she didn’t meet his gaze, her eyes instead darting around the area like a cornered animal. 

“It’s nothing, Cad.” She whispered, before tightening her grip on his hand and dragging him along. His mother was never this rough, and it startled him; he tried to get her to stop, but she wouldn't.

“Are you scared, mama?” 

“N-no." She stuttered, and Cad frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"It’s just grown-up stuff.” She replied; he hated that excuse. What was so grown-up that he wouldn’t understand? He was growing up, and he knew lots of things. Still, he didn’t press her - that was, until, she missed the turn for his school.

“Mama, school is that way.”

“I know Cad. We aren’t going to school today.” She directed him toward a building he had never seen before; it looked worn down, as though nobody had lived in it for years. She looked back and forth before pushing the large door open. A creak filled the dusty silence, and the two meandered in. Cad coughed a bit as his mother swept dust off of a trunk; she knelt down and gently gripped his arms, her maroon eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Daddy is going to be here with Licha soon. But if something bad happens before then, I want you to hide in here. Alright?”

“Why would I want to hide?” Cad furrowed his browridges as he watched the tears trickle down his mother's cheeks. 

“Someone is trying to hurt Daddy and me. But we don't want you getting hurt too.”

Cad’s shoulders slumped, and he nodded dejectedly. “Yes, mama.”

They sat in the center of the room for a few hours; Cad occupied himself with drawing in the dust, while his mother stayed ever vigilant. Her eyes would scour the room, before landing on the door for a good minute; then, she would repeat. He wasn’t sure what was trying to hurt them, but it barely weighed in his mind. Especially when his father finally showed up with the little larva in his arms.

“Any word, Tecam?” His mother asked, and his father shook his head.

“No. I made sure we weren’t being followed, just in case.” This was the most he had heard his parents speak in a while; when his father was around, it was usually quiet. Cad could always sense resentment radiating from his mother - she blamed him for something. He later figured that it was because his father put them all in danger.

“Are you sure we’re safe here?”

“At least for a while.” He sighed as he set Licha on the ground and let her crawl around; Cad offered her his fingers, which she happily accepted as her new toys. She chewed on them as Cad looked over at the door; he swore he heard a small knock, but his parents didn't seem to hear anything so he ignored it. He turned toward his sister again, and watched as she rolled onto her back. The barely-audible knock sounded again, and he perked up.

“Cad, are you alright? You look spooked.” 

“Yeah, mama. I’m fine.” It was then that there was a deafening banging on the front door; out of instinct, Cad jumped up and hopped into the trunk like he was told. He closed the top and waited for his mother to let him out. And yet……. 

Yelling filled the air - angry, raving screams that chilled Cad to the bone. He could hear his parents pleading with these people, asking them to reconsider - to give them one more day. Licha was wailing, and his mother was a blubbering mess; his father was silent at this point, which Cad found odd... A few sharp noises sounded above the noise and the room fell silent. The yelling was reduced to a barely audible whisper. Seemingly thousands of footsteps sounded outside the trunk, before disappearing completely.

He peeked out of the keyhole, and his heart stopped beating; he could see Licha’s still form, torn in half. He shoved the cover off, not caring that the attackers could still be there; he let out a blood-curdling scream when he noticed his parents resting against the wall. They were both slumped over, with large holes through their middles.

“No! NO!” He wailed as he neared his parent’s bodies on his hands and knees; he shook his mother’s shoulders, hoping desperately to wake her up. When she didn’t move, he fell to the floor and curled in a ball; tears fell down his cheeks until he couldn’t cry anymore. He stayed in that building for days, until he couldn’t bear the stench of his family’s rotting corpses. He then left, wandering the streets in search of revenge.

-

“Cad, I hate to do this to you.” Embo’s gentle voice interrupted his story; Cad turned toward him, noting that the Zabraki bounty hunter was curled up on her Kyuzo companion’s lap. A quiet snore resonated from the woman, and no matter how much Embo moved, she didn’t stir. “But she’s completely out of it. I think I should get her home.”

Cad looked at the two and sighed. “I get it. It's not like you haven't heard this story before. I'll meet you for caf tomorrow?”

"Yeah, I owe it to you." Embo gave him a wink, as he readjusted his grip on Sugi and started to stand; he was stopped by a huffy Dengar, who crossed his arms over his chest as if something offended him. “What?”

“So we have to sit through your stories, but the moment we get a chance... it’s time to leave? That's pretty shitty etiquette.”

“No one is stopping you from giving them a condensed version, dumbass.” Latts rolled her eyes; out of everyone there, she worked with the human male the most. She figured that she was allowed to be annoyed with him for this reason alone.

“Well...” Dengar looked around, before coughing. "My story isn't really that interesting."

“Why were you throwing a fit then?” Latts screeched, and Dengar recoiled with a frown; it was obvious by the expressions on the other hunters that they were quickly growing annoyed with Dengar. In fact, Cad even made a mental note to not invite him anymore.

“It’s the principle of the matter. They think that because they’re the best of the best that they get to hog all of the glory.”

“Are you going to tell us something? Or can I get my girlfriend home?” Embo growled as he started to lose his temper - and an angry Embo was a scary Embo. He looked as though he was tempted to set her limp form down and thrash the human man. “Look, I’m terribly sorry that I would rather take care of her than listen to stories that - by the way- could be told another time.”

Cad gently grabbed Embo’s arm, and shook his head; had it been anyone else, Embo probably would’ve clocked them. The Duros held gazes with the Kyuzo for a moment, before Embo took a deep breath, and exhaled sharply; he gazed down at Sugi, who had curled against his body to leech some warmth from him. 

“Look, if you want to say something, say it. Or I’m leaving.” Embo shot Dengar a glare before his gaze softened and locked with Latts’.

“Well, I ran away because of pressure my mom’s put on me. I was to be perfect, or I would be considered a failure; I left because I couldn’t live that life anymore.” Latts just shrugged as she looked over at Dengar. “It’s hardly as…. Exciting as your guys’ lives. But that’s my story.”

Dengar looked around, before crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s not important.”

Embo just huffed, before nodding to the group and leaving the room; slowly, people followed after him, until it was just Dengar that was left in the room. The human male pursed his lips, before kicking his legs up onto the table.

“Assholes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS FOR EMPIRE'S END  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .
> 
> So apparently, the book says that none of the bounty hunters liked Dengar; I kind of theorize that it comes from the fact that Dengar is sort of a 'privileged' white human man. I theorize that he's kind of annoying in that way.... but please, correct me if that is wrong.


	11. Let 'Em Down Easy - Sugi and Embo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to my lovely story (lol). For those who are still reading, thank you so much! Two hundred reads is amazing, and I wasn't sure I would even get this far. So, thank you! This story is the most NSFW thing I've posted here so far but in the grand scheme of things it isn't that bad. So... you know... just as a warning.
> 
> Warning: this chapter includes unwanted sexual advances (NSFW. It's not from either of the main characters, so you don't have to worry about that), alcohol, and violence. It includes some implied sexual stuff too. As always, if any of this bothers you, please don't read.
> 
> I'm still taking requests! Don't think you're bothering me by inquiring at least! (And I don't want to be that person, but reviews are nice. So, if you feel so inclined to leave one, just know that you would be making my day.)

Sugi had loved being flirted with, that much she could admit; there was something about significantly less attractive men talking her up that made her feel spectacular. It made her feel impressively important, especially if the douchebag that approached her knew who she was. 

But there were times when she preferred to drink alone, or hang out with friends - and while she wasn’t narcissistic enough to think she was the hottest of her friends, men seemed to chase after her incessantly. She always attributed it to her near-humanness and her pale skin; humans had been brainwashed to believe that this was the pinnacle of beauty, so she wasn’t surprised. It just got... annoying after a while.

Embo had invited her to the bar one night after a long -but ultimately successful- gig; it was his treat, so she would've been remiss to decline him. She planned on spending it with him, but much to her surprise he was approached the moment they sat down. She watched the two interact, ready to knock some sense into the motherfucker should he turn out to be a creep. She was so intent on watching her friend that she didn’t notice that someone had slid up onto the stool beside her.

“So... what’s a pretty girl like you doing here alone?” By pretty, he meant pale and human-like; Sugi had been around these types before, and she hated them. She looked up, freezing when she noticed the man’s red hair and eerie green eyes; her hearts started to pound against her chest, and she had to consciously remind herself that this man was not Shayzeer, even if he looked like him. She stared down at her cup before a long sigh passed through her lips. She knocked back the drink, before gesturing to the bartender.

“Ain’t alone.” She gestured over her shoulder toward Embo, who was intently conversing with the Pantoran man beside him. In fact, it seemed as though there was some mutual flirting going on; she scoffed, almost offended that her partner was ignoring her.

“You may have come in with him, but he ain’t interested in ya anymore, darling.” The offending man flagged down the bartender so he could order his own drink; he then turned toward her, apparently unable to sense that she was not interested. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t.” Her nails tapped against the wooden surface of the bar; she couldn’t stand to look at him longer than a few seconds, as he looked uncannily similar to the man who abused her. Bile rose in her throat as her mind drifted to the asshole, wondering where he was...

“Are you sure sweetie? You can get whatever you want.” Sweetie. Ugh. She couldn’t stand when people called her that stupid pet name. Only those very close to her were permitted to call her that - and that list was limited to Embo, Cad, and Latts... no one beyond that. She clenched her fists underneath the bar, tight enough that her acryllic nails started to tear at her palms. She only eased her fists when she felt blood running down her hands.

“Positive.” Her reply was purposely terse, and she hoped this would deter his advances. She was wrong. She fumbled around in her pocket for one of her cigs, her shaky fingers placing the vanilla flavored cylinder between her painted lips. She blindly searched for her lighter, trying to ignore what the man was doing beside her. She lit the cig, and inhaled the sweet smoke.

“Smoking is such a dirty habit.” The man shook his head and clicked his tongue against his teeth condescendingly. “A girl as pretty as you shouldn’t be ruining her lungs like that.”

She hated when self-righteous fuckers like this guy decided to judge stupid things that wasn't even any of his business - it wasn't like she was going to change because some random douche told her smoking was bad. She knew it wasn't good for her health. But it was better than what she usually did when she grew anxious.

“You know… I bet I have some of those patches back at my place.” While she was distracted, the man managed to snake his hand out to caress her inner thigh. She was frozen in place for a while, and he took that as a sign to press on; she couldn’t believe this man’s audacity. It honestly made her feel sick. 

She managed to snap out of this trance when his hand danced beneath her dress, and his wandering fingers reached her vagina; he roughly rubbed her through the thin material of her panties, while his other hand rested on his bulge. He began to pant, his mouth parted slightly - he seemed more and more like a pig as time passed. Her first reaction was to stare down at his hand and it’s attempt of wetting her panties; then… then rage consumed her. 

She whipped toward him, a primal snarl echoing throughout the bar; she gripped his wrist tightly, before twisting his arm behind his back. He let out a cry of pain, but this wasn't enough. Before the douche had time to flinch, she tangled her hand in his hair and smashed his face into the bar. A loud crack rang out over the ruckus, and the patrons turned to stare at her; she held his head down against the wooden surface, ignoring his ugly whimpering.

“Just be thankful that you didn’t lose your hands.” She hissed in his ear as she pushed him off of his stool. He landed on the ground and gently touched his nose with his finger; he began to blubber when blood started running down his face.

“You’re evil. I was just trying to be nice.” He cried as he staggered away; Sugi watched as he was approached by a small group of men, who comforted him and gave him a rag. She huffed as she ordered few more drinks, before lining them up on the bar with the intent of drinking them all. 

“What happened?” Embo whispered into her ear, causing her to jump slightly. She gently smacked his arm, before resting her forehead against his; something about being close to him was honestly comforting. Had it been anyone else, she would’ve pushed them away; but not him. She always felt safe when she was with him.

“He thought he could touch me.” She smirked as she grabbed the half-consumed drink the fucker left behind; it emitted a strong odor which was far from pleasant. She played with the rim of the glass, almost obsessively.

“You attacked a guy for touching you?” As if to emphasize the point, he gently ran his finger down her arm; her gaze followed his finger and in return, she gripped his chin between her thumb and her forefinger. She stroked his chin with the tips of her fingers, noting how his eyes darkened dangerously; she found this utterly delightful, and silently thanked the man to Embo's right for revving him up.

“Well, let’s just say he was being a little too friendly.” Sugi retracted her hand from his chin, before letting it gingerly drift down his neck and chest; he swallowed hard, his eyes following her hand.

“Friendly? I might need a sort of demonstration.” Their gazes locked for a moment, broken only when the bartender shuffled their empty glasses away; Embo leaned toward her a little bit, his knees brushing against hers.

Sugi cocked a brow. “Are you flirting with me?”

“Well, I have had a little too much. The lovely gentleman I was talking to bought me at least four drinks.” He gestured to his right, although the man had left a while ago when he noticed that Embo was more interested in talking to his Zabrak partner. Sugi chuckled when she imagined just how disappointed this man must’ve been. “And you know that I tend to make bad decisions when I drink.”

“So flirting with me is a bad decision?” She chuckled as her finger drew circles on his thigh; he looked down at her finger, and then up at the smile on her face. 

“Well, you do tend to get rough when you’re drunk.” 

“I promise I’ll be gentle.” She whispered as she pressed a small kiss to his cheek; he chuckled, nearly pulling her up onto his lap. He stopped short, however, and looked on as someone approach. He sighed, a pout resting on his face.

“Looks like another guy's gonna give you a go.” 

“Give me a moment.” She winked, before turning toward the man; she instantly recognized him as one of the first guy’s friends, and a frown ghosted on her face. Whether or not he was going to clock her when he arrived was the question of the night; if she was honest, she wanted to see him try.

He slid up onto the stool beside her, a little less cocky than his friend; he looked at her for a moment, before a small grin grew on his face.

“So, my buddy’s pride is pretty hurt at this point. Although I won’t argue that he didn’t deserve it.”

“Just leave me alone.” Sugi hissed as she lit her second cigarette of the night; she blew the cloud of smoke at the offender, smiling at his rigorous coughing.

“Oohh, you’re edgy. I kind of like that in a girl.” He didn’t even order a drink or anything; he just sat there, looking at her. She found it a bit unnerving, but she wasn’t going to let him know this. “So, tell me a bit about yourself.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Oh, come on. It’s just a little fun. I’ll go first.” He puffed up his chest just a little, and she tried not to laugh; he looked absolutely absurd, although her impression of him may have been a bit skewed because of the state she was in. “I’m a defense attorney. What do you do for a living?”

When someone asked her this question, it was immediately evident that they either didn’t recognize her or didn’t even know who she was to begin with. Most of the time she told them a complete lie; she found it was much simpler than trying to explain why she did what she did. But this time, she decided to be blunt - she was definitely not trying to impress him.

“I murder people.” She shrugged as if this was a completely innocuous thing to say to someone you just met; the man’s jaw dropped to the floor, and Embo burst into laughter in the background. Apparently, he was enjoying the show.

“O-okay. Well, do you have a hobby?” The sentence came out shakily, as the man tried desperately to recover from the surprise.

“A hobby?” She asked, batting her eyelashes; Embo snickered into his fists as she thought for a moment. “Does murdering people count as a hobby?”

At this he stood, his face as pale as the moon; he didn’t even say goodbye as he stumbled away from her. Embo guffawed -even the bartender chuckled- as the man met up with his buddies and nearly dropped dead right then and there. They had to help him back into the booth, as his legs apparently gave out from underneath him.

“Do you think you scared them off?” Embo leaned in close as if waiting for her full attention. She confidently shook her head.

“Oh no. You know how persistent humans are.” Sugi frowned as she took a puff of her cig; she turned to watch the group interact, noting that most of them seemed reluctant to advance. The men seemingly volunteered another one of their buddies, and shoved him toward her; he approached, his knees wobbling uncontrollably.

“Just say something threatening.” He begged as he stood a few feet away; he wrung his hands nervously as if her very presence was overwhelmingly threatening. “Please.”

“My friend here could break your spine like a twig if I ordered him to.” She offered nonchalantly, to which he nodded.

“That will do. Thank you.”

And he staggered back toward his table. Sugi shook her head, and smothered her cig in the ashtray in front of her; she was finally able to turn her attention back to the Kyuzo. She sent him a sly gaze as she paid her tab.

“Now you and I have some…. Discussing to do… somewhere else.” 

“I believe we do.” He offered her his hand, and they hastily left the bar.


	12. Family - Jas Emari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I apologize at how Embo and Sugi heavy it's been the last few chapters; since they are the characters I write the most, I'll tend to lean toward them if I can't think about anything else. And this chapter is no exception - I was going to post a Jango ficlet but couldn't figure out how to get it to work before today. So I whipped this up last night with the hopes that I will have the Jango ficlet next week.
> 
> That being said, this fic technically focuses on Jas and her feelings but includes the aforementioned characters. So I apologize if you're getting tired of reading about them.
> 
> I don't think there is anything in this chapter than warrants a warning. It's pretty tame. Oh, and spoilers for Aftermath: Empire's End. 
> 
> Please, if you have a fic request, don't be shy. I love taking requests and it's not a burden at all. (In fact, you can request multiple times. Bonus if you have a plot point or prompt. But just know that I won't have them done all at one.) Thanks!

Jas Emari had grown over the last couple of years; she entered the bounty hunting field cold and angry, and left with a ragtag family she never thought she could have. She finally understood why her aunt had delighted in having a crew - she didn’t realize just how lonely she had been until she started working with others. And while her own crew was much different than she imagined, it somehow worked.

Dengar had mellowed in his older age, and wasn’t quite as annoying as she had remembered; he often delighted in dad jokes and had to stop himself from parenting Jas more times than she could count. At first, it annoyed her - she was an adult, for Iridonia’s sake- but she then remembered that the last time Dengar had seen her she was about fifteen years old. She had been a wild child then, without a care in the galaxy. So she let him make those comments and found that if she listened, it would sometimes make sense.

Despite not knowing Jeeta very well, Jas found that it was nice having the company of another woman; she was many years younger than their male counterparts, which added another, fresher perspective to the mix. Jeeta was as fluid as a river, easily able to adapt to any situation; this was a welcome change, as Dengar was very set in the old ways and Embo… was just stubborn.

Jas sighed as she leaned against the wall outside of Embo’s quarters; she could tell that he was meditating, as the sweet scent of incense wafted through the cracks of the door. Jas twirled a cig between her fingers as she contemplated knocking; things had been... tense between the two, although Jas was sure it was mostly one-sided. Luckily, this didn't interfere with their work... it just made her wholly uncomfortable during their down time.

Jeeta walked by her, a clearly confused expression present on her face; Jeeta knew nothing of the past the two shared and Jas was sure their relationship would look odd to those on the outside. Thankfully, the woman didn’t question it and continued with whatever it was she was doing. 

Jas shoved the cig back into her pocket, before sucking in a deep breath and opening the door; the Kyuzo man was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, surrounded by candles and incense. He was sitting so still that if it wasn't for the subtle rise and fall of his chest, Jas would've sworn he was dead; she watched him for a moment, her mind mulling over what she wanted to say to him.

“What?”

This startled Jas; she took a step back, noting that he opened one eye to make sure it was her. He still remained stiff, however, as if he could sense her emotions.

“Where is she?”

At this, his shoulders slumped as though the weight of the galaxy had come crashing down on top of him; he waved his hands over the candles, and the flames extinguished. Next thing she knew, the light was on and he was standing opposite of her; even being as aged as he was, he was amazingly spry - but this didn't shock her one bit.

“Safe.” Was all he offered, his expression infuriatingly unreadable. Jas felt rage build within her chest as her hands clenched into fists; her mind raced with all sorts of terrible things she could say, but she stayed silent. He watched her carefully as he sank down to the floor again.

“Safe? That’s all you’ve got for me?!” Her blunt nails dug into the flesh of her palms as she tried to keep from punching something... or rather someone. “You two left me behind!”

“We did what we thought was best. You were old enough to live safely without us.”

Jas bit her lip, trying to keep from lashing out at him; her mind drifted back to that day, and she felt as alone as she did then. She was seventeen years old, just fresh off of her first-ever gig; she had arrived back at their shared apartment to find it hauntingly empty. Even if the two older bounty hunters had gone out for the night like she first suspected, Marrok would've greeted her at the door. He didn't... and she immediately knew something wasn't right.

She tip-toed toward their room, and found it devoid of life; in fact, it looked as though it had been ransacked, as everything she expected to see was gone. She immediately suspected the worst, and felt tears well in her eyes.

“Jas!” Jas' attention snapped toward the center of the room, where she noticed the large blue hologram of her aunt; she looked panicked, which Jas immediately noted as odd. Sugi was the type of person to hide her fear as deep down inside of her as she could manage. “Jas… I know you must be confused… I wish I could explain things to you but I just don’t have the time. Just know that I - we - love you and believe in you.”

Jas had kept that holocommunicator for years, hoping it would ring and her aunt would be on the other side. But it never happened - so she moved on, believing that they had been massacred by the Empire or other bounty hunters. She shouldered the debts her aunt left behind, she took over where they left off… and she found that it scarred her in more ways than one. She was the person she was because of them... and their betrayal.

She didn’t realize that she was crying until a tear fell onto the hand resting on her lap; she wiped the tears from her eyes with the heels of her hands, and she noted a concerned look from the Kyuzo. He was silent as he waited for her to speak, and looked to be bracing himself in case she decided to scream.

“I was scared and alone…I thought you were dead.” She whimpered as the feelings she repressed for years started to resurface; the bone-crushing agony of solitude, the maddening confusion… the pain of wondering ‘was it me?’. She tried to keep more tears from falling, but was ultimately unsuccessful; she sobbed, for the first time in a long time. She gurgled out a ‘why?’, as she looked up at him; his face was distorted by her tears, but she swore that he looked guilty.

He didn’t offer her an explanation. He looked down at his hands, before slowly rising. “I took that job to find you. Your aunt… she misses you.”

“Why?!” She screamed, startling him enough for him to take a few steps backward; he sighed, before rubbing his temples.

“Do you remember what the galaxy was like back then?” He continued despite her not answering him; she could care less about his stupidly dramatic storytelling - she wanted - no, needed- to get to the bottom of this. “The Kyuzo…. Were valuable to the Empire. Your aunt was worried that the Empire would turn against us - and we couldn’t have that. Your cousins-.”

“Cousins?” Jas choked, her heartache morphing into rage; she shot up, and paced at the end of his bed. “She has a family?”

He said nothing at this, allowing her time to process everything she had learned; she had family out there that she didn’t even know about. For the longest time, she had sworn that she was alone but now… A part of her hated the both of them for not telling her sooner, but another part felt a little bit hopeful. She now had two families. This is everything she ever wanted.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice squeaked unceremoniously - she hated feeling things. It made her seem weak…. Vulnerable… and she knew better than anyone else that vulnerability was life-threatening to a bounty hunter.

“It was hard enough finding you.” He almost chuckled at this, but caught himself; he looked down at her proudly, and she only sighed. “The gig with Mercurial was the first lead I got.”

He reached inside of his pocket and retrieved a slightly bent flimsi picture; he offered it to her, and she peered down at it. The backdrop was unrecognizable - it didn’t look like any of the planets she had ever been to, and she silently wondered where this was taken. In the forefront of the photo were two children, a little boy and a little girl; they were laughing, undoubtedly at something the photographer was doing. They wore little matching outfits - the little girl was holding a blanket in her hands, while the little boy held a plushie. In the background was a small Anooba pup which looked a little bit like the late Marrok.

“What are their names?”

“Ilya and Deverik.” He beamed as he stared down at the photo; he gingerly took it from her and returned it to his pocket. “I deeply apologize for what we put you through. You were finding your place in the galaxy and we didn’t want to mess it up for you. Just know that you will always have a place with us.”

Jas sighed, before looking down at her hands; she wasn’t sure if she could forgive that easily, and found herself waging an internal war. On the one hand, she just wanted to give in - but on the other, she was still hurting… and she wasn’t ever sure she could get over it. 

As if on cue, Embo’s holocomm. beeped and he answered it. 

“Where have you been? You’re long overdue.” It was Sugi; Jas smiled gently as she watched the woman rest her hands on her hips. She hadn’t lost any of her tenacity, but it was evident, even from the unsettling blue of the hologram, that she was aging. The crows feet at the corners of her eyes had grown more pronounced, and her laugh-lines were permanently etched on her face. Still, she was as radiant as Jas remembered.

“There is someone here that might want to say hi.” He gently offered Jas the comm., and Sugi perked up.

“JAS?!” She gestured for something beyond Jas’ line of sight; before she knew it, her aunt was joined by the two children. They were a little bit older than they were in the photo, but not by much. “Look what I created!”

Jas couldn’t help but laugh as she watched her aunt kiss both of the children on their foreheads; her heart ached as she watched them, and in that moment she was determined to rejoin her second family - no matter what it took

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I think this is what happened? No. But it's better than what probably happened. More likely, Sugi actually died - but I like to think that everything was a little happier than that.


End file.
